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Posts tagged with "Reference"

Get advice to start your home-based business
Posted by aharder on 11/20/18
 
 
As a young girl growing up Portland, Ore., Mary Hamilton fondly recalls Saturday mornings spent with her dad hitting garage sales, scouring for treasures, “It was always the thrill of the hunt…whatever came our way, whatever caught our eye.” 
 
Decades later, that same passion for ‘the hunt’ led the now Arlington Heights resident to the library’s Business Services department. Mary wanted to know – could she use her keen eye for collectible glassware to start her own online business? She scheduled an appointment and met one-on-one with a business specialist to help answer that question.
 
“That meeting 100 percent for sure was my motivation,” Hamilton said. “Having someone who knows the business world encouraging me made me feel like I was on the right path.”
 
The meeting resulted in a lot of practical advice, too, like establishing banking, obtaining a State of Illinois business license and structuring workflow. She also got tips on photography and marketing her products visually online.
 
“The best advice of all was that once you create your business, how important it is to stay focused and true to your brand,” she said. 
 
As Hamilton began building her online shop, she enrolled in the library’s Quickbooks for the Small Business Owner and Creating a Business Presence on Facebook classes and continued to educate herself about collectibles by checking out reference books from the library. 
 
The result of her efforts was Banbury Cross Vintage, an Etsy shop featuring vintage glassware and treasures. The online store has received visitors from around the world.  
 
“When you’re starting a business, it can be intimidating because you are putting yourself out there,” Hamilton said. “But everyone at the library has been really supportive, and with it being the library you know there is no ulterior motive. No one is trying to sell you anything. They really are just there for you and supporting the community.”
 

AHML Mobile App Discontinued
Posted by aharder on 07/14/17

As of August 1, the AHML mobile app will be discontinued. You will still be able to manage your account, search our catalog, and register for programs on your phone or tablet using our mobile-friendly website, http://www.ahml.info.

We encourage our app users to bookmark our mobile menu screen at http://www.ahml.info/mobile.html. You will still be able to manage your account, search our catalog, place a hold and register for programs on your phone or tablet using our mobile-friendly website. The mobile site is accessible from any browser. By August 1, the library’s mobile website will have the added feature of allowing you to display your barcode on your mobile device. Navigate to My Account as of August 1, and you’ll see an option to display your library card’s barcode. You can then use this barcode at our self-checkout stations or at our Checkout Desk in the library. 

Feel free to contact the library for assistance.
 
If you would like to create an icon on your device's home screen so you still can access our website quickly, follow the instructions below:

For Android Devices:
Chrome
1. Open the Chrome app
2. Navigate to ahml.info
3. Select the Options button (located in the top right corner of the app)
4. Select "Add to Home Screen"
5. Name your bookmark and click Add
6. You should now see a new icon on your phone's home screen

Firefox
1. Open the Firefox app
2. Navigate to ahml.info
3. Select the Options button (located in the top right corner of the app)
4. Select "Page"
5. Select "Add to Home Screen"
6. You should now see a new icon on your phone's home screen

For iPhone and Apple Devices
1. Open the Safari app
2. Navigate to ahml.info
3. Tap the Share button at the bottom of the screen
4. Select "Add to Home Screen"
5. Name your bookmark and save it
6. You should now see a new icon on your phone's home screen
If you have any questions, please contact the library for assistance
 

Ask Us. We Answer at Rotary
Posted by daccurso on 06/15/09
jason_rotary1 Information Services Manager Jason Kuhl spoke to the Arlington Heights Noon Rotary Group recently about the services his department offers. He highlighted questions that our librarians answer for customers at the Answer Center, like what can be done about racoons in your house or what is the most popular New Year's resolution and how often is it kept. (By the way, the most popular resolution is, as you might guess, weight loss, but about 92% of the time, it is not achieved.)  Kuhl encouraged audience members to contact the Answer Center with their questions, whether it is to settle a bet, find consumer information, get driving directions, find out about village ordinances, get answers to trivia questions and much more. Call the Answer Center at 847-506-2633, or email, text or live chat with your question.

Databases for home mechanics can help with small engine or auto repair
Posted by aharder on 11/20/18
 
Need to replace the dome light on your 2006 Honda Civic LX? Fix the carburetor on your Toro walk-behind mower? The library now offers access to the AutoMate auto repair database and the Small Engine Repair Reference Center.
 
AutoMate covers vehicles back to 1974 and includes service information, technical service bulletins, recall notes, diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), maintenance schedules, estimated labor times and more.
 
The Small Engine Repair Reference Center provides detailed yet user-friendly repair guides for small engines, including lawn equipment, motorcycles, boat motors/watercraft and more, covering both routine maintenance and advanced repairs.
 
Both AutoMate and the Small Engine Repair Reference Center can be used by library cardholders from home.

Helpful resources for Illinois Primary Election - Tuesday, March 20

Posted by aharder on 03/16/18
 
The Illinois Primary Election occurred on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. Early voting occurred March 5 through 19. 
 
We gathered some valuable information about the election to help you as you learn about candidates and get ready to vote.
 

Register to Vote

Register to vote online at the Cook County Clerk’s Office until March 4.  After that, you can take part in Grace Period Registration and Voting up to election day.  For that, you will need to bring two pieces of ID to a designated location.  You can even register and vote on Election Day, in your home precinct at your polling place.
 
Your Voter Information Tool
Enter your address at the Cook County Clerk’s website to look up your polling place, a sample ballot, your early voting site, and your current elected officials.
 
Learn About Candidates
As you prepare for Election Day, you can learn more about candidates from various sources:
• Chicago Sun Times 2018 Illinois Primary Voting Guide
• Chicago Tribune endorsements
• Chicago Tribune candidate surveys
• Daily Herald news, endorsements, profiles, etc.
• Illinois State Bar Association Judicial Evaluations
• Chicago Bar Association Judicial Evaluations (2018 coming soon)
 
For additional information, some organizations also perform fact checking and publish articles:
• Ballotpedia Illinois:  A nonpartisan and nonprofit online encyclopedia of American politics and elections.
• Politifact Illinois:  A Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking website.
 
Looking for more information? Contact a Specialty Info Services Librarian at questions@ahml.info.
 

Homework Help and More: Resources at the Library
Posted by aharder on 10/16/18
 
Homework Helpers in the Library
 
Teen volunteers are available in Kids' World select Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
See the calendar for dates.
Struggling with a class or need homework help? Teen volunteers can assist with completing homework assignments or practicing skills. Check ahml.info for a complete list of times when Helpers are available.
 
Online Tools for Research, Homework and More
 
Encyclopedia Britannica: The world-renowned reference tool, with articles, images, videos and helpful links on almost every topic (countries, people, animals, science, etc.). Three versions: For Children, For Young Adults and Reference Center. 1st grade-adult.
 
Student Resources in Context: Reference articles, overviews and magazine journal articles on all topics. Helpful at term paper time! 5th grade-adult.
 
PebbleGo: For emergent readers--short articles and videos about animals, science, biographies and social science. Grades K-2. 
 
Core Concepts (Biology, Chemistry & Periodic Table): Overview articles to help understand important scientific principles. Grades 7-12. 
 
CultureGrams: Detailed overviews of all the world’s countries: government, population, daily life, etc. Grades 3-12. 
 
Visual Thesaurus: Love wordplay? Use Visual Thesaurus to explore connections between words and build your vocabulary. Read fun, informative articles about the interesting ways in which we use words. There’s even an online spelling be you can join. Also great for ESL learners. 6th grade-adult.
 
Testing & Education Reference Center: Online test prep for ACT, the new SAT, GRE, MCAT, LSAT, GED etc., as well as several vocational tests (ASVAB, PRAXIS, etc.) and language/citizenship tests. High school students can do college and scholarship searches, and job seekers can use a resume-building tool. 10th grade-adult.
 
National Geographic Kids: Pictures, books and magazine articles about animals, science, history, cultures, the environment and more. Grades K-8. 
 
 
 
 
 

Is it true? Try these fact-checking websites and resources
Posted by paichele on 01/30/17
 
What is fake news?
The Internet is full of viral misinformation. Fake news is a false news story designed to look like credible information and makes it difficult to decipher fact from fiction. Fake news typically spreads fast online. How can we wade through it? Always reflect on how you encountered the story. Was it promoted on a website? Did it show up in a social media feed? Was it sent to you by someone you know? Trace the story to its original source.

Here are some other helpful steps to analyze news sources and tools for fact checking.

Put it to the CRAAP Test:
Currency—Can you find a date of the article or photograph? When was it last updated?
Relevance—Who is the intended audience? How does the source meet your needs?
Accuracy—Is the information supported by evidence? Does it cite other sources?
Authority—Who is the author? What are their credentials?
Purpose—Does the site give facts or opinions? Does it have a clear bias?
 
Is it true? Check out these unbiased fact-checking websites:
Snopes
Independent, self-sufficient entity wholly owned by its operators who investigate rumors.
 
Factcheck
Non-partisan, non-profit which acts as a consumer advocate for voters. A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
 
Politifact
Independent fact checking website created by the Tampa Bay Times newspaper. PolitiFact has won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
 
Where does the bias lie in the media?
Check out this study from the Pew Research Institute
 
Other resources and articles about Fake News
When Fake News Stories Make Real News Headlines

Looking for more information? Contact a Specialty Info Librarian at questions@ahml.info.
 
 

Learn a new language to prep for summer travel
Posted by aharder on 06/14/17
 
Heading abroad over the summer? Make sure to learn the language. The library offers a number of free online language-learning tools:

• Little Pim: Fun, easy lessons for kids, pre-K to 2nd grade. It covers Spanish, French, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Hebrew, English, German, Arabic, Russian.
• Mango Languages: Lively introductory lessons for 72 languages. Special “Conversations” lessons give you a quick-start. Some language lessons also have full-length foreign-language feature films (for adult audiences) to help improve your language comprehension.
• Pronunciator: Covers over 80 languages. Many have “8-Week Travel Prep” lessons and scheduled “Live Conversation” sessions that let you talk in real-time with a Pronunciator representative. Kids can use their special “Young Learners” lessons. Pronunciator is a more in-depth resource and includes a special evaluation tool to help improve your pronunciation skills.
 
Both Mango and Pronunciator are also valuable tools for learning English as a Second Language (ESL).
 

Library adds new resources for genealogy and history research
Posted by wtolan on 05/14/18
The Arlington Heights Memorial Library is now offering two new resources to help aid genealogy and history research. The first is Proquest Historical Newspapers, which adds to the access the library already had for the historical Chicago Tribune (1849-1993). New historical titles include The New York Times (1851-2013), The Chicago Defender (1910-1975), the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (1874-1922), The Baltimore Sun (1837-1991) and The Irish Times/The Weekly Irish Times (1859-2015). These are fully-scanned articles and pages from the original newspapers, complete with photos, advertisements, classifieds, obituaries and death notices, and are especially valuable both to genealogists and students working on history projects (looking for primary sources, historical price information, etc.).
 
The second resource is American Ancestors, a collection of genealogy databases maintained by the New England Historic Genealogical Society with over 14 billion records pulled from military sources, vital records, family histories, census data, etc. Full access to records is available inside the library. Users outside the library have limited access to freely-available records.
 
Resources such as Proquest Historical Newspapers can be found by visiting the library's Research webpage and clicking on the Databases tab.

Library adds new tool for researching grants
Posted by aharder on 08/11/17
 
The library is now offering cardholders access to a new database called Pivot, a major resource for researching grants and funding opportunities. Pivot is intuitive and easy to use. Customers can use Pivot to research grant sources for organizations, small businesses and individuals.
 
Just some of the areas included in Pivot's research include STEM Education, Clean Technology, Energy Industry, Sustainable Design, Green Buildings, Cloud Computing and Urban Farming.
 
Learn more by visiting Pivot from our Online Databases page. 

 
If your status is Confirmed Registration, your spot for the event is confirmed.

If registration for this event is full, you will be placed on a waiting list. Wait listed registrants are moved to the confirmed registration list (in the order of registration) when cancelations are received. You will receive an email notification if you are moved from the wait list to the confirmed registration list.

 

6.012 Patron-Generated Content

04/27/2011
The Library offers various venues in which patrons can contribute content that is accessible to the public.  These include, but are not limited to, blogs, reviews, forums, and social tagging on the Library’s website and catalog.  Any instance in which a patron posts written or recorded content to any of the Library’s venues that are accessible to the public is considered “patron-generated content” and is subject to this policy.
 
By contributing patron-generated content, patrons grant the Library an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual right and license to use, copy, modify, display, archive, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works based upon that content.
 
By submitting patron-generated content, patrons warrant they are the sole authors or that they have obtained all necessary permission associated with copyrights and trademarks to submit such content.
 
Patrons are liable for the opinions expressed and the accuracy of the information contained in the content they submit.  The Library assumes no responsibility for such content.
 
The Library reserves the right not to post submitted content or to remove patron-generated content for any reason, including but not limited to:
 
  • content that is profane, obscene, or pornographic;
 
  • content that is abusive, discriminatory or hateful on account of race, national origin, religion, age, gender, disability, or sexual orientation;
 
  • content that contains threats, personal attacks, or harassment;
 
  • content that contains solicitations or advertisements;
 
  • content that is invasive of another person’s privacy;
 
  • content that is unrelated to the discussion or venue in which it is posted;
 
  • content that is in violation of the Library’s Code of Conduct or any other Library policy